Macromolecular Substances Commons^™

Development Of Hyaluronic Acid-Derived Macromolecular Agents For Multimodal Imaging Probes And Nanomedicine, William M. Payne

Theses & Dissertations

Cancer, one of the most challenging maladies facing modern medicine, is a complex family of diseases that requires a multifaceted treatment regime. In recent years, increased research effort has been placed on the development of nanoscale formulations as a potential method to improve therapeutic efficacy and offer better treatment. Both drug formulation and biomedical imaging has benefitted from the development of new, nanoscale agents. Hyaluronic Acid (HA), a naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan, is a promising platform for the development of new drug delivery systems. Furthermore, hyaluronic acid is the principal ligand for the cell surface receptor CD44, which is overexpressed on …

Inhibition Of Cancer Stem Cells By Glycosaminoglycan Mimetics, Connor P. O'Hara

Theses and Dissertations

Connor O’Hara July 29, 2019

Inhibition of Cancer Stem Cells by Glycosaminoglycan Mimetics

In the United States cancer is the second leading cause of death, with colorectal cancer (CRC) being the third deadliest cancer and expected to cause over 51,000 fatalities in 2019 alone.¹ The current standard of care for CRC depends largely on the staging, location, and presence of metastasis.² As the tumor grows and invades nearby lymph tissue and blood vessels, CRC has the opportunity to invade not only nearby tissue but also metastasize into the liver and lung (most commonly).³ The 5-year survival rate …